Secure and private cloud based broadcast identification

ABSTRACT

A tracking device can securely communicate with a secondary device by generating a hash value based on the identity of the tracking device. If the secondary device cannot resolve the hash value, the hash value can be provided to a tracking server, such as a cloud server, for resolving the hash value. Upon resolving the hash value, the tracking server can store a location of the tracking device in association with the identity of the tracking device. To preserve power, the secondary device can activate location-detection functionality (such as a GPS receive) only in response to the detection of movement of the tracking device, can obtain location information, and can de-activate the location-detection functionality upon providing the location information to the tracking server. The tracking server can associate one or both of a previous location and the current location information based on movement of the tracking device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/241,858, filed Jan. 7, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,462,600, whichapplication is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.15/947,207, filed Apr. 6, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,349,203, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/660,766, filed Jul. 26,2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,973,890, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/472,281, filed Mar. 29, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.9,749,791, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/822,580, filed Aug. 10, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,654,916, whichapplication claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/062,062, filed Oct. 9, 2014, all of which are incorporated byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to locating a tracking device, andmore specifically, to securely providing location and identityinformation for a tracking device to centralized system.

Electronic tracking devices have created numerous ways for people totrack the locations of people and/or objects. For example, a user canuse GPS technology to track a device remotely or determine a location ofthe user. In another example, a user can attach a tracking device to animportant object, such as keys or a wallet, and use the features of thetracking device to more quickly locate the object, (e.g., if it becomeslost).

However, traditional tracking devices and corresponding systems sufferfrom one or more disadvantages. For example, locating a tracking devicefrom a far-away distance requires a considerable amount of power. Thus,battery life of a tracking device is often limited. Further, technologyfor long-range tracking is expensive, and often requires sophisticatedcircuitry for operating in connection with an associated electronicdevice (e.g., a mobile device). Additionally, low-power options fortracking devices are limited to tracking nearby objects that require auser to be within a close proximity of the tracking devices, limitingthe usefulness of such tracking devices.

SUMMARY

A tracking device can securely communicate with a secondary device, suchas a mobile phone or computer, using a one-way communication protocol.For instance, the tracking device can generate a hash value based on theidentity of the tracking device, a key stored by the tracking device, atime interval during which the hash value is generated, or any othertracking device parameters. The tracking device can output the generatedhash value, for instance as a Bluetooth-format advertisement orbroadcast.

The secondary device can receive the hash value, and can attempt toresolve the received hash value by generating a hash value using thesame device parameters for each of one or more tracking devicesassociated with, or “owned” by, the secondary device. If a generatedhash value matches the received hash value, the secondary device candetermine a location of the tracking device (such as a location of themobile device if the mobile device is within a threshold proximity ofthe tracking device), and can provide the identity of the trackingdevice and the determined location to a tracking server (such as a cloudserver).

If the secondary device cannot resolve the received hash value, thesecondary device can provide the location of the tracking device and thereceived hash value to the tracking server for resolution. The trackingserver can generate a hash value using the same device parameters foreach tracking device associated with the tracking server, and canresolve the received hash value by matching it to a hash value generatedby the tracking server. By resolving the received hash value, thetracking server can identify the tracking device, and can store thereceived location in association with the identity of the trackingdevice.

To save power, the secondary device can activate location-detectionfunctionality, such as a GPS receiver, in response to the detection ofmovement by the tracking device, for instance using a gyroscope oraccelerometer. The secondary device can then access location informationassociated with the tracking device, and can provide the identity of thetracking device and the location information to the tracking server forstorage. The secondary device can de-activate the location-detectionfunctionality in response to providing the location and tracking deviceidentity to the tracking server, or in response to receiving aconfirmation from the tracking server that the location information wasstored in association with the tracking device identity. The trackingdevice can enter a standby mode, and the location-detectionfunctionality of the secondary device can remain de-activated, untilsubsequent movement of the tracking device is detected.

The tracking device can emit a location request either in response tothe detection of movement by the tracking device, at a fixed interval,or in response to a request from a secondary device. The tracking devicecan include a time stamp within the location request indicating a timeassociated with the last detected movement of the tracking device. Ifthe secondary device receives a location request with an indication thatthe tracking device has not moved since a high-accuracy location hasbeen associated with the tracking device, the secondary device maintainsthe high-accuracy location with the tracking device, regardless ofwhether the secondary device has moved relative to the tracking device.If the secondary device receives a location request with an indicationthat the tracking device has moved since a high-accuracy location hasbeen associated with the tracking device, the secondary device canassociate the location of the secondary device with the tracking device,even if the secondary device has moved more than a threshold distanceassociated with high-accuracy location determinations away from thetracking device. Alternatively, the secondary device can maintain theprevious high-accuracy location association with the tracking device,but because the tracking device has moved, the secondary device caninstead classify the location as a low-accuracy location.

A type, direction, or magnitude of motion (“movement information”) canbe determined and provided to the secondary device. The secondary devicecan access location information associated with the tracking device inresponse to receiving the movement information, and can provide thelocation information, the movement information, and the identity of thetracking device to the tracking server. The tracking server can selectone or both of the provided location information or previously providedlocation information based on, for instance, the movement information,the accuracy of the provided location information or the previouslyprovided location information, or any other suitable factor. Theselected location information can be stored by the tracking serverand/or provided to the secondary device for storage or presentation to auser of the secondary device. For instance, the tracking server, upondetermining that the received location information is more accurate thanthe previously provided location information, can overwrite thepreviously provided location information with the received locationinformation. The tracking device can enter a standby mode upon receivinga confirmation that the location information was provided to thetracking server, that the tracking server stored the provided locationinformation, or that the tracking server provided the selected locationinformation to the mobile device, and can remain in standby mode untilsubsequent motion is detected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary implementation for locating a trackingdevice according to principles described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary tracking system of the implementation ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user mobile device of the implementationof FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary community mobile device of theimplementation of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process of identifying a tracking device and anassociated location, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process of determining device location in responseto movement detection, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process of selecting between current or previousdevice location information, according to one embodiment.

The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention forpurposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein provide a user with the ability to locateone or more low-power tracking devices by leveraging the capabilities ofa plurality of mobile devices associated with a community of users(e.g., users of the same tracking device system) in a secure andprivacy-focused environment.

A user can attach a tracking device to or enclose the tracking devicewithin an object, such as a wallet, keys, a car, a bike, a pet, or anyother object that the user wants to track. The user can then use amobile device (e.g., by way of a software application installed on themobile device) to track the tracking device and corresponding object.For example, the mobile device can perform a local search for a trackingdevice attached to a near-by object. However, in situations where theuser is unable to locate the tracking device using their own mobiledevice (e.g., if the tracking device is beyond a distance within whichthe mobile device and the tracking device can communicate), theprinciples described herein allow the user to leverage the capabilitiesof a community of users of a tracking device system.

In particular, a tracking system (also referred to herein as a “cloudserver” or simply “server”) can maintain user profiles associated with aplurality of users of the system. The tracking system can associate eachuser within the system with one or more tracking devices associated theuser (e.g., tracking devices that the user has purchased and is using totrack objects owned by the user). If the user's object becomes lost orstolen, the user can send an indication that the tracking device is lostto the tracking system, which is in communication with one or moremobile devices associated with the community of users in communicationwith the system. The tracking system can set a flag indicating thetracking device is lost. When one of a community of mobile devices thatare scanning for nearby tracking devices and providing updated locationsto the tracking system identifies a flagged tracking device, thetracking system can associate the received location with the flaggedtracking device, and relay the location to a user of the trackingdevice, thereby enabling the user to locate and track down the trackingdevice.

In addition to utilizing a general community of users, a user of thetracking system may desire to utilize the tracking capabilities of aspecific group of one or more known users (e.g., friends or family ofthe user). For example, a user may indicate one or more friends or otherusers with which a tracking device may be shared. Sharing the trackingdevice may provide the ability for a friend to quickly determine if atracking device is close-by without also querying a larger community ofusers, or to enable a friend to contact a user directly with informationabout the location of a lost tracking device.

Environment Overview

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary implementation in which a trackingsystem 100 is communicatively coupled to a mobile device 102 associatedwith the user 103 and a plurality of community mobile devices 104 athrough 104 n (collectively referred to herein as “community mobiledevices 104”) associated with a plurality of users 105 a through 105 nof the tracking system 100 (collectively referred to herein as“community users 105”). As will be explained in more detail below, thetracking system 100 can allow the user 103 to manage and/or locate atracking device 106 associated with the user 103. In some embodiments,the tracking system 100 leverages the capabilities of community mobiledevices 104 to locate the tracking device 106 if the location of thetracking device is unknown to the user 103 and beyond the capabilitiesof mobile device 102 to track. In some configurations, the user 103 mayown and register multiple tracking devices 106. Although FIG. 1illustrates a particular arrangement of the tracking system 100, mobiledevice 102, community mobile devices 104, and tracking device 106,various additional arrangements are possible.

In some configurations, the user 103 may be part of the community ofusers 105. Further, one or more users 105 may own and register one ormore tracking devices 106. Thus, any one of the users within thecommunity of users 105 can communicate with tracking system 100 andleverage the capabilities of the community of users 105 in addition tothe user 103 to locate a tracking device 106 that has been lost.

The tracking system 100, mobile device 102, and plurality of communitymobile devices 104 may communicate using any communication platforms andtechnologies suitable for transporting data and/or communicationsignals, including known communication technologies, devices, media, andprotocols supportive of remote data communications.

In certain embodiments, the tracking system 100, mobile device 102, andcommunity mobile devices 104 may communicate via a network 108, whichmay include one or more networks, including, but not limited to,wireless networks (e.g., wireless communication networks), mobiletelephone networks (e.g., cellular telephone networks), closedcommunication networks, open communication networks, satellite networks,navigation networks, broadband networks, narrowband networks, theInternet, local area networks, and any other networks capable ofcarrying data and/or communications signals between the tracking system100, mobile device 102, and community mobile devices 104. The mobiledevice 102 and community of mobile devices 104 may also be incommunication with a tracking device 106 via a second network 110. Thesecond network 110 may be a similar or different type of network as thefirst network 108. In some embodiments, the second network 110 comprisesa wireless network with a limited communication range, such as aBluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless network. In someconfigurations, the second network 110 is a point-to-point networkincluding the tracking device 106 and one or more mobile devices thatfall within a proximity of the tracking device 106. Accordingly, themobile device 102 and community mobile devices 104 are only able tocommunicate with the tracking device 106 if they are within a closeproximity to the tracking device. In some configurations, the mobiledevice 102 and one or more community mobile devices 104 may each beassociated with multiple tracking devices associated with various users.

As mentioned above, FIG. 1 illustrates the mobile device 102 associatedwith the user 103. The mobile device 102 can be configured to performone or more functions described herein with respect to locating trackingdevices (e.g., tracking device 106). For example, the mobile device 102can receive input from the user 103 representative of information aboutthe user 103 and information about a tracking device 106. The mobiledevice 102 may then provide the received user information, trackingdevice information, and/or information about the mobile device 102 tothe tracking system 100. Accordingly, the tracking system 100 is able toassociate the mobile device 102, the user 103, and/or the trackingdevice 106 with one another. In some embodiments, the mobile device 102can communicate with the tracking device 106 and provide informationregarding the location of the tracking device to the user 103. Forexample, the mobile device 102 can detect a communication signal fromthe tracking device 106 (e.g., by way of second network 110) as well asa strength of the communication signal to determine an approximatedistance between the mobile device 102 and the tracking device 106. Themobile device 102 can then provide this information to the user 103(e.g., by way of one or more graphical user interfaces) to assist theuser 103 to locate the tracking device 106. Accordingly, the user 103can use the mobile device 102 to track and locate the tracking device106 and a corresponding object associated with the tracking device 106.If the mobile device 102 is located beyond the immediate range ofcommunication with the tracking device 106 (e.g., beyond the secondnetwork 110), the mobile device 102 can be configured to send anindication that a tracking device 106 is lost to the tracking system100, requesting assistance in finding the tracking device. The mobiledevice 102 can send an indication of a lost device in response to acommand from the user 103. For example, once the user 103 has determinedthat the tracking device 106 is lost, the user can provide user input tothe mobile device 102 (e.g., by way of a graphical user interface),requesting that the mobile device 102 send an indication that thetracking device 106 is lost to the tracking system 100. In someexamples, the lost indication can include information identifying theuser 103 (e.g., name, username, authentication information), informationassociated with the mobile device 102 (e.g., a mobile phone number),information associated with the tracking device (e.g., a unique trackingdevice identifier), or a location of the user (e.g., a GPS location ofthe mobile device 102 at the time the request is sent).

The tracking system 100 can be configured to provide a number offeatures and services associated with the tracking and management of aplurality of tracking devices and/or users associated with the trackingdevices. For example, the tracking system 100 can manage informationand/or user profiles associated with user 103 and community users 105.In particular, the tracking system 100 can manage information associatedwith the tracking device 106 and/or other tracking devices associatedwith the user 103 and/or the community users 105.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can receive an indicationthat the tracking device 106 is lost from the mobile device 102. Thetracking system 100 can then process the indication in order to help theuser 103 find the tracking device 106. For example, the tracking system100 can leverage the capabilities of the community mobile devices 104 tohelp find the tracking device 106. In particular, the tracking system100 may set a flag for a tracking device 106 to indicate that thetracking device 106 lost and monitor communications received from thecommunity mobile devices 104 indicating the location of one or moretracking devices 106 within proximity of the community mobile devices104. The tracking system 100 can determine whether a specific locationis associated with the lost tracking device 106 and provide any locationupdates associated with the tracking device 106 to the mobile device102. In one example, the tracking system may receive constant updates oftracking device 106 locations regardless of whether a tracking device106 is lost and provide a most recent updated location of the trackingdevice 106 in response to receiving an indication that the trackingdevice 106 is lost.

In some configurations, the tracking system 100 can send a locationrequest associated with the tracking device 106 to each of the communitymobile devices 104. The location request can include any instructionsand/or information necessary for the community mobile devices 106 tofind the tracking device 102. For example, the location request caninclude a unique identifier associated with the tracking device 106 thatcan be used by the community mobile devices 104 to identify the trackingdevice 106. Accordingly, if one of the community mobile devices 104detects a communication from the tracking device 106 (e.g., if thecommunity mobile device 104 is within range or moves within range of thecommunication capabilities of the tracking device 106 and receives asignal from the tracking device 106 including or associated with theunique identifier associated with the tracking device 106), thecommunity mobile device 104 can inform the tracking system 100. Usingthe information received from the community mobile devices 104, thetracking system 100 can inform the user (e.g., by way of the mobiledevice 102) of a potential location of the tracking device 106.

As shown in FIG. 1 and as mentioned above, the tracking system 100 cancommunicate with a plurality of community mobile devices 104 associatedwith corresponding community users 116. For example, an implementationmay include a first community mobile device 112 a associated with afirst community user 116 a, a second community mobile device 112 bassociated with a second community user 116 b, and additionalcommunication mobile devices associated with additional community usersup to an nth community mobile device 112 n associated with an nthcommunity user 116 n. The community mobile devices 112 may also includefunctionality that enables each community mobile device 112 to identifya tracking device 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device112. In one example, a first community mobile device 112 a withinproximity of a tracking device 106 can communicate with the trackingdevice 106, identify the tracking device 106 (e.g., using a uniqueidentifier associated with the tracking device 106), and/or detect alocation associated with the tracking device 106 (e.g., a location ofthe first mobile community device 104 a at the time of the communicationwith the tracking device 106). This information can be used to provideupdated locations and/or respond to a location request from the trackingsystem 100 regarding the tracking device 106. In some embodiments, thesteps performed by the first community mobile device 104 a can be hiddenfrom the first community user 105 a. Accordingly, the first communitymobile device 104 a can assist in locating the tracking device 106without bother and without the knowledge of the first community user 105a.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can assist a user 103 inlocating a tracking device 106. The tracking device may be a chip, tile,tag, or other device for housing circuitry and that may be attached toor enclosed within an object such as a wallet, keys, purse, car, orother object that the user 103 may track. Additionally, the trackingdevice 106 may include a speaker for emitting a sound and/or atransmitter for broadcasting a beacon. In one configuration, thetracking device 106 may constantly transmit a beacon signal that may bedetected using a nearby mobile device 102 and/or community mobile device104. In some configurations, the tracking device 106 broadcasts a beaconat regular intervals (e.g., one second intervals) that may be detectedfrom a nearby mobile device (e.g., community mobile device 104). Thestrength of the signal emitted from the tracking device 106 may be usedto determine a degree of proximity to the mobile device 102 or communitymobile device 104 that detects the signal. For example, a higherstrength signal would indicate a close proximity between the trackingdevice 106 and the mobile device 102 and a lower strength signal wouldindicate a more remote proximity between the tracking device 106 and themobile device 102. In some cases, the strength of signal or absence of asignal may be used to indicate that a tracking device 106 is lost.

System Overview

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram showing example components of the trackingsystem 100. As shown, the tracking system 100 may include, but is notlimited to, an association manager 204, a tracking device locationmanager 206, and a data manager 208, each of which may be incommunication with one another using any suitable communicationtechnologies. It will be recognized that although managers 204-208 areshown to be separate in FIG. 2, any of the managers 204-208 may becombined into fewer managers, such as into a single manager, or dividedinto more managers as may serve a particular embodiment.

The association manager 204 may be configured to receive, transmit,obtain, and/or update information about a user 103 and/or informationabout one or more specific tracking devices (e.g., tracking device 106).In some configurations, the association manager 204 may associateinformation associated with a user 103 with information associated witha tracking device 106. For example, user information and trackinginformation may be obtained by way of a mobile device 102, and theassociation manager 204 may be used to link the user information andtracking information. The association between user 103 and trackingdevice 106 may be used for authentication purposes, or for storing userinformation, tracking device information, permissions, or otherinformation about a user 103 and/or tracking device 106 in a database.

The tracking system 100 also includes a tracking device location manager206. The tracking device location manager 206 may receive and process anindication that the tracking device 106 is lost from a mobile device(e.g., mobile device 102 or community mobile devices 104). For example,the tracking system 100 may receive a lost indication from a mobiledevice 102 indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. The trackingdevice location manager 206 may set a flag on a database (e.g., trackerdatabase 212) indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. Thetracking device location manager 206 may also query a database todetermine tracking information corresponding to the associated user 103and/or tracking device 106. The tracking system 100 may obtain trackingdevice information and provide the tracking device information or otherinformation associated with the tracking device 106 to a plurality ofcommunity mobile devices 104 to be on alert for the lost or unavailabletracking device 106. The tracking device location manager 206 may alsobe used to receive and process a response to a tracking request that isreceived from one or more community mobile devices 104 that detect thetracking device 106 and respond to the tracking request. For example,the tracking system 100 may receive a response to the tracking requestindicating a location within a proximity of the tracking device 106 andprovide a last known location within a proximity of the tracking device106 as provided by the community mobile device 104.

In one configuration, the tracking device location manager 206 mayreceive an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost from the mobiledevice 102 and store the lost indication on a database. When thetracking device location manager 206 receives an indication that thetracking device 106 is lost, the tracking device location manager 206may set a flag indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. Settinga flag for a tracking device 106 may include storing and/or associatinga value associated with the tracking device that indicates that thetracking device 106 is lost. This may include setting a flag, marker,digital value, or other indication that the tracking device 106 is lostand maintaining or storing the indication of the lost tracking device106 on the tracking system 100 (e.g., on a database).

The tracking device location manager 206 may further receive updatedlocations from the community of mobile devices 104 that are constantlyscanning for nearby tracking devices 106. In this example, the trackingdevice location manager 206 may receive location updates from thecommunity of mobile devices 104 and, based on the tracking device 106being indicated as lost, provide a response to a lost indication to themobile device 102. The response to the lost indication may be a textmessage, push notification, ring tone, automated voice message, or otherresponse for informing a user 103 that a tracking device 106 has beenfound and/or an updated location of the tracking device 106.

The tracking device location manager 206 may further manage providingindications about whether a tracking device 106 is lost or not lost. Forexample, as discussed above, the tracking device location manager 206may provide a location request to the community of mobile devices 104indicating that a tracking device 106 is lost. Additionally, uponlocation of the tracking device 106 by the user 103 or by one of thecommunity of users 105, the tracking device location manager 206 mayprovide an indication to the user 103, community user 105, or trackingsystem 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found, thus removingany flags associated with a tracking device and/or canceling anylocation request previously provided to the community of users 105. Forexample, where a user 103 sends an indication that the tracking device106 is lost to the tracking system 100 and later finds the trackingdevice 106, the mobile device 102 may provide an indication to thetracking system 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found. Inresponse, the tracking device location manager 206 may remove a flagindicating that the tracking device 106 is lost and/or provide anupdated indication to the community of users 105 that the trackingdevice 106 has been found, thus canceling any instructions associatedwith the previously provided location request. In some configurations,the notification that the tracking device 106 has been found may beprovided automatically upon the mobile device 102 detecting a proximityof the tracking device 106. Alternatively, the notification that thetracking device 106 has been found may be provided by the user 103 viauser input on the mobile device 102. In another example, a known user(e.g., a friend or family member) with whom the tracking device 106 hasbeen shared may provide an indication that the tracking device 106 hasbeen found.

The tracking system 100 additionally includes a data manager 208. Thedata manager 208 may store and manage information associated with users,mobile devices, tracking devices, permissions, location requests, andother data that may be stored and/or maintained in a database related toperforming location services of tracking devices. As shown, the datamanager 208 may include, but is not limited to, a user database 210, atracker database 212, permissions data 214, and location request data216. It will be recognized that although databases and data within thedata manager 208 are shown to be separate in FIG. 2, any of the userdatabase 210, tracker database 212, permissions data 214, and locationrequest data 216 may be combined in a single database or manager, ordivided into more databases or managers as may serve a particularembodiment.

The data manager 208 may include the user database 210. The userdatabase 210 may be used to store data related to various users. Forexample, the user database 210 may include data about the user 103 aswell as data about each user 105 in a community of users 105. Thecommunity of users 105 may include any user that has provided userinformation to the tracking system 100 via a mobile device 102, 104 orother electronic device. The user information may be associated with oneor more respective tracking devices 106, or may be stored without anassociation to a particular tracking device. For example, a communityuser 105 may provide user information and permit performance of trackingfunctions on the community mobile device 104 without owning or beingassociated with a tracking device 106. The user database 210 may alsoinclude information about one or more mobile devices or other electronicdevices associated with a particular user.

The data manager 208 may also include a tracker database 212. Thetracker database 212 may be used to store data related to trackingdevices. For example, the tracker database 212 may include tracking datafor any tracking device 106 that has been registered with the trackingsystem 100. Tracking data may include unique tracker identifications(IDs) associated with individual tracking devices 106. Tracker IDs maybe associated with a respective user 103. Tracker IDs may also beassociated with multiple users. Additionally, the tracker database 212may include any flags or other indications associated with whether aspecific tracking device 106 has been indicated as lost and whether anyincoming communications with regard to that tracking device 106 shouldbe processed based on the presence of a flag associated with thetracking device 106.

The data manager 208 may further include permissions data 214 andlocation request data 216. Permissions data 214 may include levels ofpermissions associated with a particular user 103 and/or tracking device106. For example, permissions data 214 may include additional users thathave been indicated as sharing a tracking device 106, or who have beengiven permission to locate a tracking device 106 using an account and/ormobile device 102 associated with the user 103. Location request data216 may include information related to a location request or a lostindication received from the user 103 via a mobile device 102.

FIG. 3 illustrates a diagram showing example components of the mobiledevice 102. As shown, the mobile device 102 may include, but is notlimited to, a user interface manager 302, a location request manager304, a database manager 306, and a tracking manager 308, each of whichmay be in communication with one another using any suitablecommunication technologies. It will be recognized that although managers302-308 are shown to be separate in FIG. 3, any of the managers 302-308may be combined into fewer managers, such as into a single manager, ordivided into more managers as may serve a particular embodiment.

As will be explained in more detail below, the mobile device 102includes the user interface manager 302. The user interface manager 302may facilitate providing the user 103 access to data on a trackingsystem 100 and/or providing data to the tracking system 100. Further,the user interface manager 302 provides a user interface by which theuser 103 may communicate with tracking system 100 and/or tracking device106 via mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may also include a location request manager 304.The location request manager 304 may receive and process a request inputto the mobile device 102 to send an indication that a tracking device106 is lost to a tracking system 100. For example, the user 103 mayprovide an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost, unreachable,or otherwise unavailable from the mobile device 102 via the userinterface manager 302, and the location request manager 304 may processthe lost indication and provide any necessary data to the trackingsystem 100 for processing and relaying a location request to other users105 over a network 108. In some configurations, an indication that atracking device 106 is lost is provided via user input. Alternatively,the indication may be transmitted automatically in response to themobile device 102 determining that a tracking device 106 is lost.

The mobile device 102 may also include a database manager 306. Thedatabase manager 306 may maintain data related to the user 103, trackingdevice 106, permissions, or other data that may be used for locating atracking device 106 and/or providing a request to a tracking system 100for locating one or more tracking devices 106 associated with the user103. Further, the database manager 306 may maintain any information thatmay be accessed using any other manager on the mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may further include a tracking manager 308. Thetracking manager 308 may include a tracking application (e.g., asoftware application) for communicating with and locating a trackingdevice 106 associated with the user 103. For example, the trackingmanager 308 may be one configuration of a tracking application installedon the mobile device 102 that provides the functionality for locating atracking device 106 and/or requesting location of a tracking device 106using a plurality of community mobile devices 104. As shown, thetracking manager 308 may include, but is not limited to, a Bluetooth LowEnergy (BLE) manager 310, a persistence manager 312, a local filesmanager 314, a motion manager 316, a secure storage manager 318, asettings manager 320, a location manager 322, a network manager 324, anotification manager 326, a sound manager 328, a friends manager 330, aphoto manager 332, an authentication manager 334, and a device manager336. Thus, the tracking manager 308 may perform any of the functionsassociated with managers 310-338, described in additional detail below.

The BLE manager 310 may be used to manage communication with one or moretracking devices 106. The persistence manager 312 may be used to storelogical schema information that is relevant to the tracking manager 308.The local files manager 314 may be responsible for managing all filesthat are input or output from the mobile device 102. The motion manager316 may be responsible for all motion management required by thetracking manager 308. The secure storage manager may be responsible forstorage of secure data, including information such as passwords andprivate data that would be accessed through this sub-system. Thesettings manager 320 may be responsible for managing settings used bythe tracking manager 308. Such settings may be user controlled (e.g.,user settings) or defined by the tracking manager 308 for internal use(e.g., application settings) by a mobile device 102 and/or the trackingsystem 100. The location manager 322 may be responsible for all locationtracking done by the tracking manager 308. For example, the locationmanager 322 may manage access to the location services of the mobiledevice 102 and works in conjunction with other managers to persist data.The network manager 324 may be responsible for all Internetcommunications from the tracking manager 308. For example, the networkmanager 324 may mediate all Internet API calls for the tracking manager308. The notification manager 326 may be responsible for managing localand push notifications required by the tracking manager 308. The soundmanager 328 may be responsible for playback of audio cues by thetracking manager 308. The friends manager 330 may be responsible formanaging access to contacts and the user's social graph. The photomanager 332 may be responsible for capturing and managing photos used bythe tracking manager 308. The authentication manager 334 may beresponsible for handling the authentication (e.g., sign in or login) ofusers. The authentication manager 334 may also include registration(e.g., sign up) functionality. The authentication manager 334 furthercoordinates with other managers to achieve registration functionality.The device manager 336 may be responsible for managing the devicesdiscovered by the tracking manager 308. The device manager 336 mayfurther store and/or maintain the logic for algorithms related to devicediscovery and update.

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram showing example components of a communitymobile device 104. As shown, the community mobile device 104 mayinclude, but is not limited to, a user interface manager 402, a losttracking device manager 404, a database manager 406, and a trackingmanager 408, each of which may be in communication with one anotherusing any suitable communication technologies. The user interfacemanager 402, database manager 406, and tracking manager 408 illustratedin FIG. 4 may include similar features and functionality as the userinterface manager 302, database manager 306, and tracking manager 308described above in connection with FIG. 3. It will be recognized thatalthough managers 402-408 are shown to be separate in FIG. 4, any of themanagers 402-408 may be combined into fewer managers, such as into asingle manager, or divided into more managers as may serve a particularembodiment.

The community mobile device 104 may include a lost tracking devicemanager 404. The lost tracking device manager 404 may facilitatescanning for nearby tracking devices 106. In some configurations, thelost tracking device manager 404 can continuously or periodically scan(e.g., once per second) for nearby tracking devices 106. The losttracking device manager 404 may determine whether to provide an updatedlocation of the nearby tracking device 106 to the tracking system 100.In some configurations, the lost tracking device manager 404 provides alocation of a nearby tracking device 106 automatically. Alternatively,the lost tracking device manager 404 may determine whether the locationof the tracking device 106 has been recently updated, and determinewhether to provide an updated location based on the last time a locationof the tracking device 106 has been updated (e.g., by the communitymobile device 104). For example, where the community mobile device 104has provided a recent update of the location of a tracking device 106,the lost tracking device manager 404 may decide to wait a predeterminedperiod of time (e.g., 5 minutes) before providing an updated location ofthe same tracking device 106.

In one configuration, the lost tracking device manager 404 may receiveand process a location request or other information relayed to thecommunity mobile device 104 by the tracking system 100. For example, thelost tracking device manager 404 may receive an indication of a trackingdevice 106 that has been indicated as lost, and provide a location ofthe tracking device 106 if it comes within proximity of the communitymobile device 104. In some configurations, the community mobile device104 is constantly scanning nearby areas to determine if there is atracking device 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device104. Therefore, where a tracking device 106 that matches informationprovided by the tracking system 100 (e.g., from the location request)comes within proximity of the community mobile device 104, the losttracking device manager 404 may generate and transmit a response to thelocation request to the tracking system 100, which may be provided tothe user 103 associated with the lost tracking device 106. Further,generating and transmitting the response to the tracking request may beconditioned on the status of the tracking device 106 being flagged aslost by the mobile device 102 and/or the tracking system 100.

The lost tracking device manager 404 may additionally provide otherinformation to the tracking system 100 in response to receiving thetracking request. For example, in addition to providing a location ofthe community mobile device 104, the lost tracking device manager mayprovide a signal strength associated with the location to indicate alevel of proximity to the location of the community mobile device 104provided to the user 103. For example, if a signal strength is high, thelocation provided to the user 103 is likely to be more accurate than alocation accompanied by a low signal strength. This may provideadditional information that the user 103 may find useful in determiningthe precise location of tracking device 106.

As described above, the lost tracking device manager 404 may determinewhether to send a location within the proximity of the tracking device106 to the tracking system 100. The determination of whether to send alocation to the tracking system 100 may be based on a variety offactors. For example, a lost tracking device manager 404 may determineto send a location of the tracking device 106 to a tracking system 100based on whether the detected tracking device 106 has been indicated aslost or if a tracking request has been provided to the community mobiledevice 104 for the particular tracking device 106. In someconfigurations, the community mobile device 104 may send an update of alocation of a tracking device 106 even if the tracking device 106 is notassociated with a current tracking request or if the tracking device 106is not indicated as lost. For example, where the location of a trackingdevice 106 has not been updated for a predetermined period of time, thecommunity mobile device 104 may provide an update of a tracking devicelocation to the tracking system 100, regardless of whether a trackingrequest has been received.

In some configurations, the community mobile device 104 may includeadditional features. For example, the community mobile device 104 mayallow a tracking system 100 to snap and download a photo using photofunctionality of the community mobile device 104. In someconfigurations, this may be an opt-in feature by which a community user105 permits a tracking system 100 to take a snap-shot and possiblyprovide a visual image of an area within a proximity of the trackingdevice 106.

Hash-Based Location Tracking

Often, identifying and tracking the location of wireless devicesrequires the establishment of a two-way communication session betweenthe device being tracked (the “tracking device”) and another device(such as a mobile phone, computer, or any other suitable device, “mobiledevice” hereinafter). As described herein, a tracking device can insteadbe identified using one-way communications (communications from thetracking device to the mobile device), without requiring communicationsfrom the mobile device to the tracking device. Such communications arereferred to as “advertisements” by the tracking device, and can besecured by the tracking device to prevent interception by unauthorizedentities, for instance entities masquerading as an associated mobiledevice or entities eavesdropping on tracking device advertisements tocollect information about the tracking device.

A tracking device (such as the tracking device 106 of FIG. 1) can beconfigured to generate a hash value identifying the tracking device. Thehash value can be dependent on one or more parameters associated withthe tracking device, including but not limited to one or more of thefollowing: a key stored by the tracking device, the MAC address of thetracking device (random or assigned to the tracking device by a trackingserver, such as the tracking system 100 of FIG. 1), a device identifier(such as a persistent identifier that uniquely identifies the trackingdevice), a time at which the hash value is generated, or any othersuitable parameters. By generating a hash value based on a time at whichthe hash value is generated, the hash value can expire after a thresholdamount of time elapses, or after the passage of a pre-defined timeinterval, as described below.

In some embodiments, the generated hash value is represented by thefunction:hash_value=f(tracking_device_key,tracking_device_identifier,time)

The tracking device can generate a hash value (or, in some embodiments,a keyed-hash value) using any suitable hashing function, such the SHA-Xfunction, the MDX function, the RIPEMD function, the PANAMA function,the Tiger function, the WHIRLPOOL function, the Bernstein hash function,the Fowler-Noll-Vo hash function, the Jenkins hash function, the Pearsonhash function, the Zobrist hash function, and the like. A keyed-hashmessage authentication code (HMAC) construction can be used forcalculating the keyed-hash. Although hash functions are describedherein, in other embodiments, the tracking device is configured togenerate an encrypted or otherwise encoded value based on one or moredevice parameters using any suitable encryption or encoding function.The parameter “tracking_device_key” refers to a key stored by thetracking device, the parameter “tracking_device_identifier” refers to anidentifier that uniquely identifies the tracking device, and theparameter “time” refers to the time interval or period during which thehash value is generated.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process 500 of identifying a tracking device and anassociated location, according to one embodiment. A tracking device 502generates 510 a hash value based on one or more tracking deviceparameters, such as an assigned tracking device key, a persistenttracking device unique identifier, and a time or time interval duringwhich the hash value is generated. The tracking device 502 can generatea new hash value periodically, after the passage of a pre-determinedinterval of time, in response to detected movement of the trackingdevice, or in response to any other suitable stimulus.

The generated hash value 512 is advertised or broadcasted, for instanceusing the Bluetooth protocol, and is received by the mobile device 504.In some embodiments, the tracking device 502 advertises the hash valueperiodically, a threshold number of times per generated hash value, inresponse to generating the hash value, or based on any other suitablecriteria. It should be noted that the generated hash 512 can advertisedindependent of or without communications from the mobile device 504.

The mobile device 504 receives the hash value and determines 514 whetherthe hash value can be resolved locally. To resolve a hash value locally,the mobile device 504 accesses a set of stored parameters for eachtracking device associated with or “owned by” the mobile device 504(such as a tracking device key and/or tracking device identifierassigned to the mobile device by a tracking server 506), and generates ahash value for each owned tracking device using the same hash functionand tracking device parameters as the tracking device 502. If thereceived hash value matches any hash value generated by the mobiledevice 504, the mobile device 504 identifies the tracking device 502 asthe tracking device associated with the matched hash value, identifiesthe location of the tracking device 502, and provides the trackingdevice identity and location 518 to the tracking server 506. Thetracking server 506 stores 520 the received tracking device identity inassociation with the received tracking device location.

If none of the hash values generated by the mobile device 504 match thereceived hash value, or if the mobile device 504 does not have access todevice parameters for tracking devices owned by the mobile device 504,the mobile device 504 identifies 522 the location of the tracking device502, and forwards the received hash value and the identified location524 to the tracking server 506. The tracking server 506 resolves 526 thehash value by generating a hash value for each tracking device trackedby or associated with the tracking server 506 using associated deviceparameters maintained by the tracking server 506. The tracking server506 identifies 528 the tracking device 502 by matching the received hashvalue to a hash value generated by the tracking server 506. Uponidentifying the tracking device 502, the tracking server 506 stores 530the received location in association with the identity of the trackingdevice 502.

The tracking server 506 can be configured to pre-generate hash valuesfor each tracking device associated with the tracking server 506, and tostore the pre-generated hash values in, for example, a hash table. Forinstance, for hash values generated using, as one tracking deviceparameter, the hour interval (such as 10:00 am-11:00 am PDT) duringwhich the hash value is generated, the tracking server 506 can generatehash values for each tracking device associated with the tracking server506 every hour. If a hash value generated in a previous hour interval isreceived at the tracking server 506, the tracking server 506 may not beable to resolve the hash value using hash values generated during acurrent hour interval. In such instances, the received hash value has“expired”, and the tracking server 506 ignores the expired hash value,waits for a subsequent/non-expired hash value from the tracking device502 (via the mobile device 504), and resolves the subsequent hash value.It should be noted that although examples are given with regards to hourintervals, hash values can be generated an expire with regards to anytime interval, such as the 5-minute interval, the 15-minute interval,the 6-hour interval, the 24-hour interval, and the like.

In order to synchronize maintained times between the tracking device502, the mobile device 504, and the tracking server 506, the trackingdevice 502 can authenticate the mobile device 504 and/or tracking server506, and can synchronize a timing tracker at the tracking device 502 inresponse to the authentication. Alternatively, the tracking device 502can synchronize a timing tracker at the tracking device 502 using anexternal entity, in response to the manual synchronization of the timingtracker by a user, or using any other suitable synchronization means. Insome embodiments, the mobile device 504 can determine that a trackingdevice 502 is out of synch by resolving an expired hash value receivedfrom the tracking device and determining that the resolved hash valuehas expired. In response to determining that the tracking device 502 isout of synch, the mobile device 504 can trigger a re-synchronization byconnecting to the tracking device and updating the tracking device'stiming information. In some embodiments, re-synchronization occursduring a grace period, for instance a threshold period of time after newhash values associated with a time interval are generated.

The hash function used by the tracking device 502 can produce hashvalues of any suitable size or length. In some embodiments, the lengthof the hash value or the type of hash function is selected based onavailable power, time, or any other characteristic of the trackingdevice 502 or tracking server 506. In some embodiments, the length ofthe hash value is selected based on a pre-determined acceptablecollision rate. Collisions occur when the tracking server 506 generatesthe same hash value for two or more tracking devices during a particulartime interval. Collisions can be resolved by comparing a previousknown/stored location for each tracking device associated with thecollision and the received location associated with the received hashvalue. For instance, if a previous known/stored location for aparticular tracking device associated with a collision is within athreshold distance of a received location, the tracking device 502 canidentify the particular tracking device from among the tracking devicesassociated with the collision as the tracking device associated with thereceived location. In some embodiments, the tracking server 506 cansimply ignore received hash values associated with collisions until anew hash value generated during a subsequent time interval is received,and can resolve the new hash value accordingly.

It should be noted that in some embodiments, the hash values describedherein are included within a communication packet that also includesother types of data. For instance, a packet can include a hash value andone or more of: information describing a broadcast power by the trackingdevice 502, a time of communication, an identity of the mobile device504 associated with the tracking device, an identity of a userassociated with the tracking device, a digital signature for use inverifying the identity of the tracking device or the authenticity of thecommunication packet, or any other suitable information.

In some embodiments, the “time” variable in the hash function describedabove is an incremented time interval value. For example, the value ofthe time variable for the first 15 minute interval of a calendar year is“00001”, the value of the time variable for the second 15 minuteinterval is “00002”, and so forth. In order to align the value of thetime variable used in computing the hash value, the tracking device 502can include the value of the time variable in plaintext in a header ofan advertisement packet that includes the hash value. In suchembodiments, a mobile device 504 or tracking server 506 can parse thevalue of the time variable included within the header, and can computehash values for tracking devices associated with the mobile device ortracking server using the parsed value of the time variable forcomparison with the hash value included within the advertisement packet.

For collisions, in addition to using the geographic location of thetracking device to resolve collisions between hash values, thegeographic location of or associated with a user can be used. Forexample, if a first hash value is associated with a first trackingdevice and a second hash value is associated with a second trackingdevice, a collision between the first hash value and the second hashvalue can be resolved by determining that the location of the mobiledevice from which each hash value was received is within a thresholddistance of a geographic location associated with an owner of the firsttracking device, and by selecting the first tracking device asassociated with the received hash value.

Likewise, collisions between hash values can be resolved by usingaccount information associated with tracking device users. For instance,if a user is associated with a user account that is in turn associatedwith a mobile device, and a hash value associated with a collision wasreceived from the mobile device, a tracking device associated with themobile device can be selected as associated with the hash value.Further, a hash value collision can be resolved based on a most recentincremented “time” variable value associated with each tracking deviceassociated with the hash value collision. For instance, if a first hashvalue is associated with a first tracking device from which a hash valuegenerated using the time value “00034” was recently received, if asecond hash value is associated with a second tracking device from whicha hash value generated using the time value “29531” was recentlyreceived, and if the hash values associated with the hash valuecollision are generated using the time values “00035” and “14224”, thefirst tracking device can be selected as associated with the receivedhash value since “00034” is closer to “00035” than “29531” is to “00035”or “14224”. In other words, a tracking device can be selected based onhow proximal or close an incremented time or counter value associatedwith a collision is to a time or counter value recently used by atracking device associated with the collision, without requiring thetransmission of the incremented value itself.

In some embodiments, the tracking server 506 attempts to resolvecollisions first using user account information as described above. Inthe event that the collision cannot be resolved using accountinformation, the tracking server attempts to resolve the collision usingproximity of incremented time or counter values recently used by atracking device in generating a hash value to time or counter valuesused to generate hash values associated with a collision. In the eventthat the collision still cannot be resolved, the tracking server canthen attempt to resolve the collision using a proximity of a geographiclocation of a mobile device, tracking device, or user to a trackingdevice associated with a collision.

Replay attacks, or the use of a hash value intercepted by anunauthorized entity to attempt to authenticate a tracking device, can beavoided by tracking incremented time or counter values associated with atracking device. For instance, when a hash value is received from atracking device, the tracking server 506 can update a storedtime/counter value associated with the tracking device. When asubsequent hash value is received that is associated with a lower orearlier time/counter value, the tracking server can disregard the hashvalue and can deny a request to authenticate the tracking device.

In embodiments where each time or counter value used to generate a firsthash value is associated with a particular time interval (e.g., 15minutes), the tracking server can deny a request to authenticate atracking device from which a subsequent hash value is received based onthe same time or counter value if the subsequent hash value is receivedoutside of the time interval (for instance, continuing with the previousexample, if the subsequent hash value is received 20 minutes after thefirst hash value is received). The tracking server can increment trackedtime or counter values for a tracking device based on an amount of timethat has lapsed since a hash value associated with a tracked time orcounter value was received. Thus, if a hash value is received from atracking device that is generated using a time or counter value outsideof an expected range for the tracking device (e.g., a time or countervalue occurring before a tracked time or counter value for the trackingdevice, or occurring more than a threshold distance beyond from atracked time or counter value incremented by the tracking server), thetracking server can disregard the received hash value and/or deny arequest to authenticate a corresponding tracking device.

Motion-Activated Location Determination

To determine the location of a tracking device, such as the trackingdevice 106 of FIG. 1, the tracking device emits a location-requestbeacon or advertisement signal (location request). In response toreceiving the beacon or advertisement signal, a mobile device, such asthe mobile device 104 of FIG. 1, uses location-determining functionality(such as a GPS receiver) to determine the location of the mobile device.Being in close proximity with the tracking device, the location of themobile device is associated with the tracking device. However, the useof location-determining functionality by the mobile device is often verypower-consuming, resulting in the draining of the mobile device'sbattery or other power source.

To offset the drain of power by the location-determining functionalityof the mobile device, the tracking device can be configured to emit alocation request only in response to the detection of movement by thetracking device. When the tracking device is not moving, the location ofthe tracking device doesn't change, and a previous determined location(determined in response to the detection of a previous movement) issufficient to describe the location of the tracking device.

In other embodiments, the tracking device is configured to emit alocation request either in response to the detection of movement by thetracking device, at a fixed interval, or in response to a request from amobile device. In such embodiments, the tracking device can include atime stamp within the location request indicating a time associated withthe last detected movement of the tracking device. In response toreceiving a location request from the tracking device by a mobiledevice, the mobile device can determine based on the time associatedwith the last detected movement of the tracking device if the trackingdevice has moved since the last time a high-accuracy location wasdetermined for the tracking device. For instance, if a tracking deviceis within a threshold distance from the mobile device when the mobiledevice receives a location request, the mobile device can associate thetracking device with the location of the mobile device, and candetermine that the associated location is a “high-accuracy” location.

If the mobile device subsequently moves more than the threshold distanceaway from the tracking device and receives a location request, and ifthe location request includes a timestamp indicating that the trackingdevice hasn't moved since the mobile device associated the trackingdevice with the location of the mobile device from within a thresholddistance from the tracking device, then the mobile device can maintainthe association between previous location and the tracking device as ahigh-accuracy location. On the other hand, if the location requestincludes a timestamp indicating that the tracking device has sincemoved, the mobile device can associate the location of the mobile devicewith the tracking device, though because the distance between the mobiledevice and tracking device is greater than the threshold distance, theassociated location is maintained as a low-accuracy location. It shouldbe noted that in some embodiments, the location request can include anindication of movement magnitude. In such embodiments, the mobile devicecan determine that a previous high-accuracy location is still ahigh-accuracy location if the magnitude of movement is below a movementthreshold. Alternatively, if the movement is greater than the movementthreshold, the mobile device can determine that the previoushigh-accuracy location is now a low-accuracy location, or can associatethe new location of the mobile device with the tracking device as alow-accuracy location.

In some embodiments, the threshold distance described above is adistance such that the tracking device sends communications to themobile device, but such that the mobile device cannot sendcommunications to the tracking device (in other words, the trackingdevice is outside of the range of the mobile device). In someembodiments, the threshold distance is a pre-determined distance suchthat location information of the mobile device and associated with thetracking distance is above a threshold accuracy (a “high-accuracy”location) when the mobile device is within the threshold distance of thetracking device and is below a threshold accuracy (a “low accuracy”location) when the mobile device is outside the threshold distance fromthe tracking device. In some embodiments, the location request from thetracking device includes an indication of strength of transmissionpower. In such embodiments, the indicated strength of transmission powercan be used to determine if the mobile device is within the thresholddistance of the mobile device.

The tracking device can include one or more movement-detectionmechanisms. For example, the tracking device can include a gyroscope, anaccelerometer configured to detect movement along one or more axes, anacoustic motion sensor, a vibration sensor, a spring-based motiondetector, or any other suitable mechanism. In some embodiments, the typeof motion detection implemented within the tracking device can be basic,as the mere detection of motion in any form can be sufficient to triggera location request. In such embodiments, rudimentary and/or low-powermotion detectors can be implemented within the tracking device,beneficially reducing the cost of and/or power used by the trackingdevice.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process 600 of determining device location inresponse to movement detection, according to one embodiment. A trackingdevice 602 detects 610 movement using, for instance, one or moremotion-detection devices within the tracking device 602. In response todetecting the movement, the tracking device 602 sends a movement flag612 or other indication of the movement to a mobile device 604. Inresponse to receiving the movement flag 612, the mobile device powers on614 a location-detection receiver, such as a GPS receiver, and accesseslocation information associated with the location of the mobile device604 (and, due to the proximity of the tracking device 602 to the mobiledevice 604), the location of the tracking device 602.

The mobile device 604 provides the identity and location 618 of thetracking device 602 to the tracking server 606. The tracking serverstores 620 the received location in association with the identity of thetracking device 602, and provides a confirmation 622 of the storage ofthe received location to the mobile device 604. In response to receivingthe storage confirmation 622, the mobile device 604 powers off thelocation-detection receiver. It should be noted that in embodimentswhere the mobile device 604 does not receive the confirmation 622 fromthe tracking server 606, the mobile device 604 can re-send the trackingdevice identity and location to the tracking server 606. In someembodiments, the mobile device 604 can power off the receiverimmediately after providing the tracking device identity and location tothe tracking server 606.

The mobile device 604 provides confirmation 626 of the storage of thetracking device location by the tracking server 606 to the trackingdevice 602. In response to receiving the confirmation 626, the trackingdevice 602 enters standby mode 628 until subsequent movement isdetected. In embodiments where the tracking device 602 does not receivethe confirmation 626, the tracking device 602 can re-send the movementflag 612 to the mobile device 604. In some embodiments, the mobiledevice 604 provides confirmation of providing the tracking deviceidentity and location to the tracking server 606 to the tracking device602 without waiting to receive the confirmation 622 that the locationwas stored from the tracking server 606, and in response, the trackingdevice 602 can enter the standby mode 628. By only powering on thelocation-detection receiver in response to the detection of movement bythe tracking device 602, the mobile device 604 saves power that wouldotherwise be required to power on the location-detection receiver duringperiods of time when the tracking device 602 is not moving.

FIG. 7 illustrates a process 700 of selecting between current orprevious device location information, according to one embodiment. Thetracking device 702 detects 710 movement, for instance using one or morelocation-detection devices as described above. In response, the trackingdevice 702 provides movement information 712 to the mobile device 704.The movement information 712 can include, for instance, a magnitude ofdetected movement.

In response to receiving the movement information 712, the mobile device704 accesses location information 716, for instance usinglocation-detection mechanisms, as described above. Although notillustrated in FIG. 7, the mobile device 704 can implement thepower-saving process of FIG. 6 by powering on the location-detectionmechanisms of the mobile device 704 only in response to receiving themovement information 712.

The mobile device 704 provides the identity, location, and movementinformation 718 of the tracking device 702 to the tracking server 706.The tracking server 706 stores 720 the received location in associationwith the tracking device 702 as the current location of the trackingdevice. The tracking server 706 accesses 722 a previous locationassociated with the tracking device 702 stored by the tracking server706.

The tracking server 706 then selects one or both of the current locationand the previous location of the tracking device 702 for providing tothe mobile device 704. In some embodiments, the tracking server 706 canselect the location of the tracking device 702 determined to be the mostaccurate. For instance, if the received movement information indicatesthat the detected movement of the tracking device 702 is very smalland/or that the accuracy of the received current location is low (forinstance, as a result of the tracking device 702 being determined to bemore than a first threshold distance from the mobile device 704), thetracking server 706 can determine that the previous location is moreaccurate than the current location, and can select the previouslocation.

Alternatively, if the accessed previous location was received and storedmore than a threshold amount of time ago and/or the accuracy of thereceived current location is high (for instance, as a result of thetracking device 702 being determined to be less than a second thresholddistance from the mobile device 704), the tracking server 706 candetermine that the current location is more accurate than the previouslocation. In some embodiments, the tracking server 706 can determinethat the current location and the previous location are equally orwithin a threshold measurement of accuracy to each other and can selectboth locations. In some embodiments, when the tracking server 706determines that the current location is more accurate or reliable thanthe previous location, the tracking server 706 overrides the previouslocation with the current location in association with the identity ofthe tracking device 702.

The tracking server 706 provides the one or more select locations 726 tothe mobile device 704. In response, the mobile device 704 presents 728the one or more selected locations, for instance to a user of the mobiledevice 704. Alternatively, the mobile device 704 can store the one ormore selected locations for subsequent access. The mobile device 704 canthen provide confirmation 730 to the tracking device 702 that thecurrent location was received and/or stored by the tracking server 706.In response, the tracking device 702 can enter standby mode 732 untilsubsequent motion of the tracking device 702 is detected.

Additional Considerations

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedisclosure.

Any of the devices or systems described herein can be implemented by oneor more computing devices. A computing device can include a processor, amemory, a storage device, an I/O interface, and a communicationinterface, which may be communicatively coupled by way of communicationinfrastructure. Additional or alternative components may be used inother embodiments. In particular embodiments, a processor includeshardware for executing computer program instructions by retrieving theinstructions from an internal register, an internal cache, or othermemory or storage device, and decoding and executing them. The memorycan be used for storing data or instructions for execution by theprocessor. The memory can be any suitable storage mechanism, such asRAM, ROM, flash memory, solid state memory, and the like. The storagedevice can store data or computer instructions, and can include a harddisk drive, flash memory, an optical disc, or any other suitable storagedevice. The I/O interface allows a user to interact with the computingdevice, and can include a mouse, keypad, keyboard, touch screeninterface, and the like. The communication interface can includehardware, software, or a combination of both, and can provide one ormore interfaces for communication with other devices or entities.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments of theinvention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are commonly used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively toothers skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to beimplemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits,microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient attimes, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, withoutloss of generality. The described operations and their associatedmodules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or anycombinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfiguredby a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer programmay be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storagemedium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus.Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification mayinclude a single processor or may be architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product that isproduced by a computing process described herein. Such a product maycomprise information resulting from a computing process, where theinformation is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readablestorage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer programproduct or other data combination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited notby this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsof the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, ofthe scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a mobiledevice from a tracking device, a hash value computed by the trackingdevice based on a unique identifier associated with the tracking deviceand an incremented value maintained by the tracking device; determining,by the mobile device, if the tracking device is associated with themobile device by computing a hash value for each of a set of trackingdevices associated with the mobile device based on a set of uniqueidentifiers associated with the set of tracking devices and theincremented value; and in response to a determination that the trackingdevice is not associated with the mobile device, providing the receivedhash value to a tracking server, the tracking server configured toresolve a conflict between the received hash value and one or more otherhash values based on a comparison of account information associated withthe tracking device and account information associated with each of theone or more other hash values.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thehash value is computed based further on a key stored by the trackingdevice.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the key is also stored bymobile device, and wherein the key is not transmitted between thetracking device and the mobile device.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe incremented value is incremented by the tracking device after eachsubsequent passage of a pre-determined interval of time.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the incremented value is incremented by the trackingdevice every 15 minutes.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receivedhash value is received in an advertisement packet transmitted by thetracking device, and wherein the advertisement packet includes theincremented value in plaintext.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thetracking server is configured to compute a hash value for each trackingdevice associated with tracking server, and wherein the tracking serveris configured to identify the tracking device in response to a matchbetween a computed hash value and the received hash value.
 8. A methodcomprising: receiving, at a tracking server from a mobile device, a hashvalue computed by a tracking device based on a unique identifierassociated with the tracking device and a counter value maintained bythe tracking device and transmitted to the mobile device; computing, bythe tracking server, a hash value corresponding to each of a set oftracking devices associated with the tracking server based on a uniqueidentifier associated with each of the set of tracking devices; inresponse to one computed hash value matching the received hash value,identifying, by the tracking server, the tracking device as one of theset of tracking devices corresponding to the matching computed hashvalue; and in response to a plurality of computed hash values matchingthe received hash value, determining that the plurality of computed hashvalues comprise a hash value collision and attempting to resolve thecollision by identifying, by the tracking server, one of the pluralityof computed hash values as associated with the received hash value basedon a comparison of account information associated with the trackingdevice and account information associated with each of the multiplecomputed hash values.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the hash valueis computed based further on a key stored by the tracking device. 10.The method of claim 8, wherein the counter value is incremented by thetracking device after each subsequent passage of a pre-determinedinterval of time.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the counter valueis incremented by the tracking device every 15 minutes.
 12. The methodof claim 8, wherein the received hash value is received in anadvertisement packet transmitted by the tracking device, and wherein theadvertisement packet includes the counter value in plaintext.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the tracking server is configured to computethe hash values corresponding to the set of tracking devices basedfurther on the counter value included in the advertisement packet.
 14. Amethod comprising: receiving, at a mobile device from a tracking device,a hash value computed by the tracking device based on a uniqueidentifier associated with the tracking device and an incremented valuemaintained by the tracking device; determining, by the mobile device, ifthe tracking device is associated with the mobile device by computing ahash value for each of a set of tracking devices associated with themobile device based on a set of unique identifiers associated with theset of tracking devices and the incremented value; and in response to adetermination that the tracking device is not associated with the mobiledevice, providing the received hash value to a tracking server, thetracking server configured to resolve a conflict between the receivedhash value and one or more other hash values based on a proximity of theincremented value to a counter value most recently used by each trackingdevice corresponding to the one or more other hash values.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the hash value is computed based further ona key stored by the tracking device.
 16. The method of claim 15, whereinthe key is also stored by mobile device, and wherein the key is nottransmitted between the tracking device and the mobile device.
 17. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the incremented value is incremented by thetracking device after each subsequent passage of a pre-determinedinterval of time.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the incrementedvalue is incremented by the tracking device every 15 minutes.
 19. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the received hash value is received in anadvertisement packet transmitted by the tracking device, and wherein theadvertisement packet includes the incremented value in plaintext. 20.The method of claim 14, wherein the tracking server is configured tocompute a hash value for each tracking device associated with trackingserver, and wherein the tracking server is configured to identify thetracking device in response to a match between a computed hash value andthe received hash value.